On Saturday morning, while you’re sleeping in or doing chores, four highly regarded but not widely known startups will have a chance to dazzle some of the media, tech, and finance machers still hanging out the “summer camp for moguls” held annually in Sun Valley, Idaho, by the boutique investment bank Allen & Co. The Information’s Jessica Lessin first reported these names during a conference call with subscribers. By itself, this doesn’t mean they’re the next big thing, but they are certainly startups to watch, especially at this moment when the tech giants dominate. Here’s what you need to know:
Aurora Innovation: This self-driving startup, run by a supergroup of key executives who played key roles in Alphabet, Tesla, and Uber’s autonomous initiatives, presented at Sun Valley last year as well. Not much is known about its tech and how it’s different, but as one of the few independent players competing against both major tech and auto companies, it’s worth keeping an eye out for any news from this team.
Dia & Co.: A subscription-box fashion service focused on women size 14 and up, Dia & Co is following in the footsteps of Stitch Fix, which went IPOed last year and has been a high-flier as a public company, trading at more than double where it debuted in November 2017.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals: This life-sciences startup promises to use AI and automation to discover new drugs faster and speed the development process. It has a number of projects going in hematology, oncology, cardiology, neurology, and even dermatology, and one drug–which seeks to treat cerebral cavernous malformation, a genetic disease that as many as 1.5 million Americans may have–has been approved for clinical trials starting later this year.
Zipline: This drone company delivers lifesaving medicine to hard-to-reach places in countries such as Rwanda. This one, though, close readers of Fast Company should know. We featured it in Most Innovative Companies in 2017 and have covered its progress ever since.
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